


Such a lovely bride!

by theleopards



Series: Evermore tales [1]
Category: Taylor Swift (Musician), evermore - Taylor Swift (Album)
Genre: F/F, Morally Ambiguous Character, Songfic, i imagined them as original characters tho, it gets real dark real quick, no body no crime, you can read it as a fucked-up kaylor au if you want to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:53:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28274889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theleopards/pseuds/theleopards
Summary: A fucked-up love story about two women who are past the point of no return (no body, no crime songfic).
Series: Evermore tales [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2071350
Kudos: 7





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I don't know what the f I'm doing, I just wrote blindly without a plot and ended up with... this. Someone, somewhere will enjoy reading this so I'm posting, but if you're not that one in a million person... I'm so sorry.  
> Also, English isn't my native language, so... I'm sorry once again.

“I hate my fucking life,” Naomi muttered, angry voice muffled by the sleeve of her sweater. Her blonde wet hair was soaking through the thin fabric and making her shiver as she banged her head against the leather seat of her car. The pouring rain lashing against the windshield was the only thing keeping the lawyer sane, reminding her that this silly little world dominated by men wasn’t the entirety of it. The only reason she confined herself to the thick walls of Braun & Associates was that she didn’t trust herself to leave them.

Naomi took a deep breath, wrapped her shaky hands around the steering wheel, and hurried out of the parking lot. It was Tuesday, and the time she spent swallowing her boss’s stupidity already made her late.

***

She was looking for Este’s car when she arrived at the Olive Garden. Their parking lot was almost empty, except for an old Chevy, a taxi, and a brand-new Range Rover. Did Este buy a new car? Naomi couldn’t say she wasn’t impressed when she crossed the restaurant’s door and found her friend leaning against the wall in their usual booth.

“You’re taking me for a ride after this,” she said as she greeted Este, who only smiled bitterly and looked away. Her red hair was a mess falling over her face, but she still looked beautiful, as she always did.

“It’s David’s. I borrowed it, but I probably should get home before he notices it’s gone.”

“Why? You’ve always been a careful driver. I’m sure he won’t mind.” Naomi started flicking the menu’s page, even though she already knew what she was going to order. Cheese ravioli for herself, lasagna for Este, and a glass of Merlot Beringer for each. They cherished their traditions more than anything.

“Well, he doesn’t know I borrowed it. And he’s been weird about this stupid car.”

“Stupid or not, we’re taking a picture with that thing before you give it back.”

Este rolled her eyes before focusing them on Naomi again. “Wait, why is your hair drenched?”

“I had to cross the firm’s parking lot to get to my car. Richard gave my spot to his son.” Naomi sighed. It was humiliating.

“I’m sorry, Nomi. He’s an asshole.” Este held Naomi’s hand over the table. “Let’s get that glass of wine.”

“Make it a bottle.”

***

“Have you talked to Michelle recently?”

“Why would I?” Naomi felt her stomach dropping at the mention, all her appetite withering away.

“She misses you, Nomi. I know it’s not my business, but Chelle is my baby sister and it’s killing me to-”

“Look, if you don’t mind, I had a bad day,” the blonde said, dropping her fork onto the plate. The noise made Este flinch and she nodded quietly. “So, you were saying David’s working extra hours. Are you guys planning a New Year’s trip?”

“No… that’s why I borrowed his car today. I know how stupid that sounds, but I needed to check if he was hiding something.”

“And… was he?”

Este took another sip. Her lips were tinted red where the wine met them.

“Not in the car, at least. But he never liked SUVs, even when we were young and _adventurous_ ,” the words felt out of place in Este’s mouth. David never was adventurous. Naomi kept quiet, but she always thought marrying him was holding Este back. “I don’t get why this now, you know? Maybe he’s going through a mid-life crisis or something. Or maybe…”

“Maybe…?”

“I think he’s cheating on me.”

The lawyer lifted her eyes from the ravioli in front of her, meeting Este’s. _Go on_ , her glance said.

“His breath smells like wine almost every night, now. Chardonnay. He says he’s staying late to coax Robb into giving him a Christmas bonus, but Robb only serves whiskey.” She rolled her eyes. “I should know, I worked for him for five years and the smell of cheap whiskey is, like, burned into my brain.”

“Oh, God, I hate rich men with cheap habits.”

“That’s why they’re rich, though.”

Naomi smirked. “Who do you think he’s drinking Chardonnay with, then?”

“I don’t know. There’s more, though. I checked our joint account last month.”

“Este…”

“No, listen. He bought a necklace. Gold with a blue topaz pendant. He never gave it to me, though.” Este’s eyes were sad, but there was smugness tugging at her lips. A _gotcha_ smile.

“Ok, that’s suspicious…” Naomi proceeded carefully. It was a fine line between supporting your friend and throwing her husband under the bus – even though she’d dreamed about doing the latter. “What are you planning to do?”

“I think I’m gonna call him out.”

***

There were three missed calls on her phone when she woke up the next day. Anonymous number. She frowned it away.


	2. Part II

Naomi ordered as soon as she sat in their booth, pleased with herself because for the first time in months she managed to arrive at the restaurant earlier than Este. The satisfaction was short-lived, though: the hours drifted away without her friend crossing the wooden gates, and the smell of cheese ravioli started to make Naomi nauseous.

Without eating, she paid for both meals and left Olive Garden on shaky legs.

***

“Are you sure Este’s ok? She never missed our appointments.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s fine!” Alice’s hurried voice cut through the line. Naomi could hear her threatening whispers in a desperate effort to get the twins to behave. _Edward, get off the table or I’ll murder you!_ “You know my sister. She can get lost in work sometimes.”

“Yes, you’re probably right.” Naomi swallowed the knot in her throat. Something ugly was growing in her ribcage, taking too much space and making the acid climb up her throat. “Yeah, I’ll stop bothering you now. If she shows up can you ask her to give me a call?”

“Of course. We’ll see you at Chelle’s Christmas party, right?”

The ugly feeling squeezed her heart.

“I swear I’ll try. Bye, Alice.”

“Bye, Naomi. We miss you.”

***

Este’s phone was out of service. That night, Naomi paced around her room until she got dizzy and had to lay down to avoid a more dramatic outcome. She considered knocking on Este’s door, but there was the whisper of her friends’ voices behind her ear. Este’s said, “ _be smart, that’s not a good strategy, Nomi_ ”. Alice’s insisted that Naomi was exaggerating. Both of them agreed that she had to wait.

Michelle’s voice, however, had been silent for a while then. It was 3 a.m. when Naomi grabbed her phone and dragged her fingers across the screen. She had deleted Michelle’s number, but her traitorous brain still kept it out of spite.

For the first five seconds, the call was silent.

“Naomi?”

Naomi gasped. Of course, Michelle still sounded the same. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting – maybe a sudden change in her vocal register, any distinctive change that reminded her of present times.

“Have you talked to Este this week?”

“Uhm… what?” Despite her confusion, Naomi knew Michelle hadn’t been sleeping. She felt it. “No, I guess I haven’t. We were supposed to meet tomorrow to buy Christmas gifts… Why?”

“I think something happened. Can I come over?” The words spilled from her mouth before she could stop them.

Unlike Alice, Michelle didn’t doubt Naomi’s intuition. She was used to it, and sometimes the fleeting thought crossed Naomi’s mind that maybe she shared it. Why else would she be awake at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday?

“I’ll leave the door open.”

“No, Michelle. From now on, you’ll keep it locked. I’ll knock.”

***

“So…” They said at the same time, none of them daring to look up in the other’s eyes. “Erm.. do you want some tea?” Michelle asked, the uncertainty in her voice made Naomi glance up. Her dirty blonde hair was longer, hugging her angular face… softening it. “Or something stronger…”

“Something stronger.”

A smile tugged at their lips. Michelle went to the kitchen and came back with two glasses of rum and coke sweating beneath her fingers.

“Este didn’t show up at the Olive Garden today. You and Alice haven’t talked to her since last week. Her phone’s out of service.”

“And your theory is…”

“I don’t have one. Yet.” Naomi took the glass from Michelle’s hand – careful not to graze her fingers – before the woman sat beside her on the couch. “How are you not more worried? She’s your sister.”

“I am worried, Naomi. It’s just that I can’t be helpful if I’m desperate.”

The silence that fell over them was constricting. The ugly thing growing inside of Naomi felt claustrophobic. Michelle was the one to cut through it, even though her voice was breaking.

“I’m sorry. I really am, Naomi. I hope you understand how deeply fucking sorry I am.”

Naomi opened her mouth to ask “ _why?_ ”, but she didn’t have to. She could remember the humiliation and feel the ghost of a panic attack caressing the back of her neck. One of those memories that can’t contain themselves to images and break away through shivers.

“I’m sorry, too,” was all she could say. Her knuckles turned white around the thick glass – had it been a thin, champagne flute filled to the brim with Dom Pérignon, it would have exploded. Her throat closed with tears, and suddenly she could see it all too clearly.

It was a rainy day when Michelle asked her to grab some stupid grocery item on the way _home_. Naomi looked around, and suddenly Michelle and the wrapped Christmas gifts strewn around the cramped living room were gone, cleared by her imagination. She was alone in the apartment they once divided. Clearly, Michelle didn’t have the heart to put away Naomi's things, her little trinkets, and they still lived on the same shelves. When she arrived with a bag full of lámen and cereal bars, her girlfriend – oh, that word cut deep – was waiting by the door, holding her long beige coat over her head, wearing the brightest smile Naomi had ever seen. She crossed the street to where Naomi had parked, crossed the coat over her head too, and they giggled all the way to the door.

What hurt the most was that Naomi was caught completely off guard. If they were a normal couple, that would’ve alarmed her: the smile, the giggles, the way Michelle adored her and kept her… But, well, they weren’t a normal couple, and none of it was abnormal to them.

She didn’t expect to find the house bubbling with nervous energy, Este’s hand wrapped around a champagne bottle, Michelle’s pianist fingers reaching for her pocket. Michelle’s mom looking at them with so much… pride. _Oh, God, that’s fucked up,_ she thought as her breathing picked up speed. Alice’s twins were wearing ties, sat quietly by the piano under their mother’s attentive stare. Naomi wondered how much effort they put into this. Into her. _I don’t deserve this shit_. A whisper by her ear, “don’t worry, baby, I chose a dress for you, it’s in our room.”

“Naomi? Naomi, you’re scaring me.” Michelle’s voice, the real Michelle sitting beside her on a couch that wasn’t brand-new anymore, cut through the memory.

“Sorry… Did you say something?”

“I said that we should drop by Este’s work tomorrow. Whatever it is that happened, she never once skipped a day of work.”

“Yes. Right. You’re right. I think I should go now.”

“Don’t be silly, you’ve been here for less than five minutes.”

“How do you manage?” Naomi asked before she could stop herself.

“What?”

“Living here, with all these… memories.”

“They’re not memories for me,” Michelle said, bitterness enveloping her voice, and stood up. “I’ll walk you to the car.”

***

Michelle’s Chevy was parked in front of Naomi’s workplace as soon as she left the building for her lunch break. Once again, she swallowed a flood of memories before opening the passenger’s door and stepping inside. The ride was silent except for the occasional loud raindrop hitting the roof of the car.

Este worked as senior editor for a left-wing political magazine, and everyone on the staff loved her. Their headquarters, as Este liked to say, was built into the same building as another magazine, edited by her husband. They were competition, but it didn’t matter, of course, because they loved each other enough to leave petty businesses behind.

“I think I’ll go check David’s office while you look for Este,” Naomi commented, absentmindedly looking through the window.

“Why?”

She shrugged. Something. A feeling. A terrible feeling.

“Okay, then.”

***

Michelle stepped out of the elevator when they reached the fourth floor, while Naomi waited for the fifth. The first thing her eyes caught when the doors opened was a mess of _Happy Birthday, Becca!_ balloons tied to the secretary’s desk, around a big _Love, Amelia_ box. Naomi recognized it, of course, because it was Este’s favorite bakery. The petite girl sitting behind the desk lifted her head uninterestedly and fixed her stance.

David was nowhere to be seen. Something told Naomi that it was better that way.

“Hi! I’m looking for _The American Courier_ ’s offices, I think I got the wrong floor, though,” she faked a frown as she looked around.

“It’s on the fourth floor, sweetie.”

“Of course! I forgot! I’m so sorry. Happy birthday, by the way. Someone really loves you.”

“Thank you, my boyfriend outdid himself with these, I think he’s already anticipating how much he’ll miss me during the holidays.” The girl smiled fondly as she traced one of the balloons with her finger.

“One of the lucky ones, huh?” Naomi glanced at the watch wrapped around the secretary’s wrist. “Great, I start working downstairs today and I’m already late.”

“Oh, don’t worry. Your boss is a bitch, but she hasn’t shown up to work since last week. You’ll be just fine.”

***

“Naomi, she hasn’t…”

“…shown up in a week. I know. Are you desperate now?” Naomi asked hurriedly as they exited the building.

“What will we do?”

Michelle’s big hazel eyes danced mysteriously across the pavement. She closed the car’s door against the drizzle.

“I don’t know.”

***

Another week passed without Este, and with every day Naomi felt Michelle’s resolve to stay calm and collected crumbling. Suddenly, it was Tuesday again, and Este’s face was everywhere. _Missing_. David declared her missing.

He didn’t contact Este’s family, he just filled up a report and went back to the bed he used to share with his now missing wife.

Michelle and Naomi found themselves once again holding onto glasses of rum and coke, sitting on their – Michelle’s – couch. The other woman’s left hand was wrapped tightly around the gleaming lime green pendant hanging from her neck.

“Remember when I gave that to you?” Naomi smiled for the first time in weeks. Este’s disappearance fell heavily over her shoulders.

“You didn’t even know birthstones were a thing, but you still managed to give me the right one,” Michelle answered without actually paying attention to the conversation. “Este said it was meant to be.”

Naomi let what Michelle said sink in for a few seconds before gasping. “He did it.”

“It’s obvious, Nomi.” Michelle downed her glass. “We don’t say it, but it’s obvious.”

“No, but I let him do it. I could’ve stopped him.”

Naomi watched as Michelle frowned, looking at the bottom of her empty glass. “You don’t know that.”

“She told me he was cheating. She wanted to confront him. I could’ve… I don’t know. I could’ve prevented it somehow.”

“Baby, believe me, you’re not the one to blame.”

***

They had a plan. Michelle seemed apprehensive, but never once did she falter on her resolution.

All the evidence they were able to collect was circumstantial: the secretary’s birthstone on Este and David’s joint account, proof that Este had called the bank questioning about it, which took her to the jewelry store. They also found out that office gossip about David and the secretary spread like wildfire. _She’s probably already sleeping on his bed_. The Range Rover? Gone. It disappeared as quickly as it showed up, but Naomi still had a picture of the plate.

It wasn’t enough, but they could always bluff their way around David to get the rest. He wasn’t the smartest, and Michelle… well, she was.

The car skidded across the curve in the pouring rain. Michelle scoffed. “God, I hope you’re better with boats than with a Chevy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Keep your eyes on the road.”

Silence fell over them again. Naomi felt suffocated.

“Are we not gonna talk about us?”

“You know it’s not the moment for that.”

“When will it be? It’s already tragic as it is, Michelle, we don’t have to make a bigger mess.”

“You mean like the mess I had to clean up after you ran away?” Michelle was staring out the closed window, refusing to look at her.

“Yes... Like that.”

“Why are you asking me about us when you’re the one with all the cards? I’m the one who got rejected, and I get it… I know I fucked up. But you don’t have the right to ask me these questions.” Her long fingers tangled in her own blonde hair, tugging nervously at the strands. “You want me back?”

“I don’t know, I…”

“Then shut up and drive.”


	3. Part III

He was measuring the trunk when Michelle pulled up across the street to wait for Este. Of course, he could be wondering if it was possible to fit in a bike. Maybe some furniture. That was the logical conclusion. But Michelle couldn’t bring herself to a peaceful night of sleep, so she drove by Este’s house again that night. And again, the next day. And again, but during the afternoon. And every time she drove by, every time she followed David’s car out of the driveway, things seemed to get uglier.

One of these nights, she found out a little too late that it wasn’t David driving his new car. It was Este, on her way to meet Naomi. She swallowed against the pain and ignored the stupid little voice in her head saying that she had turned her sister’s life into a hobby. That's what it was, right? A hobby? Some people get divorced and learn to play golf. She wasn’t that far away from them.

On a normal night, she would’ve been on high alert, ready to intervene, in case David was planning to use the Range Rover’s trunk to transport her sister’s corpse. Beyond the workings of her self-sabotaging mind, there was real worry about her sister, and maybe that’s what kept her going back to Oriole Beach every night, watching shadows passing through curtains.

It wasn’t a normal night, though. Naomi’s hair was curlier because of the rainy weather, her frame was thinner, her eyes were opaque, and she seemed a little too tipsy for someone who usually stops herself after one glass of Merlot. Of course, Michelle told herself a thousand times that it was worry that made her follow Naomi instead of Este that night. It was worry that made her stop two blocks away and watch as Naomi opened the door and got inside her new apartment. It was worry that made her a little too late to save her sister’s life.

***

_It was Christmas._

To be fair, Naomi saw it coming. Este once made a joke about how predictable Michelle was, how easy it was to write down her patterns. Back then, it didn’t mean anything to the lawyer. Every step Michelle took was a mystery, but that was because she had the unnerving habit of getting more and more reckless with each of them.

That’s a pattern. A predictable one, if you choose to not ignore it.

It was silent again after the gun was fired. The ugly feeling nestled next to Naomi’s heart roared.

“You had a gun,” she whispered. Her hands were steady just like Michelle’s, still wrapped around metal. Michelle dropped the gun and the pillow she had used as a silencer.

“Yes. I can explain it.”

“There’s no time for that.” Her mind whirled, but she didn’t hesitate. “His mistress is out of town. We’re getting him out of here.”

***

Michelle stared at her in awe as she slashed the body’s torso, fighting against her instincts to run away and never look back. They were already inside David’s old boat, perched in the dark, praying that every happy family enjoying a nice Christmas would leave them alone.

“Why are you doing this?” Michelle asked in a faint voice. _Typical. I have to do all the dirty work._

“So he doesn’t float.”

As the fresh wind hit her face, Naomi was grateful for the low winter temperatures. It was going to be a long night, and she’d have to clean up the boat too. God… she couldn’t think about it. _Don’t think and everything will be okay._

“You see now?” Michelle dropped to her knees next to Naomi, barely avoiding the blood covering the wood.

“What?”

“I’m just as fucked-up as you are.”

***

“You deserve someone better,” Naomi cried, hands over her mouth, words barely distinguishable amidst tears and sobs and a bottle of champagne popping two seconds too late. _The irony_. She backed away from where Michelle was still paralyzed, standing on one knee, eyes glued to the floor as she still held a red little box.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m fucked-up, Michelle. I’m not good enough for you and you know that.”

The ghostly presence of Michelle’s family remained still as static in the background as she dropped to the floor, barely avoiding the puddle of champagne covering the floor. “You are. You are good enough for me.” She crawled on her knees to get closer to where Naomi had backed herself against the door. “Please, don’t do this…”

***

“Please, don’t do this,” Naomi muttered under her breath. She was holding a knife over a bloody dead body, tasting iron in the air, fingers red and sticky and clothes sticking uncomfortably to her skin. “Not now.”

“Give me the knife.”

“What?”

“ _Give me the fucking knife._ ”

Taken aback, Naomi handed Michelle the knife, feeling the graze of deft fingers against her wrist.

“Where next?” Michelle asked, eyes focused on the task at hand.

“Lungs.”

She nodded affirmatively before feeling for David’s ribcages with the same deft fingers that caressed Naomi and slashing through his lungs with a sleight of hand.

“I’m just as fucked-up as you are,” she repeated, lifting her gaze to stare into Naomi’s eyes. The tips of her dirty blonde hair were stained an ugly brown.

***

Michelle stepped in the shower right after her, both of them too tired to even take off their clothes before stepping under the spray of hot water.

“There are things you don’t know,” she began to say, but Naomi didn’t want to hear them.

“Oh, baby… I just mutilated a body in front of you, there are things you don’t know either.”

When they kissed, Naomi pressed Michelle against the wall and bit into her bottom lip a little too forcefully. Probably to convince herself that the metallic taste wasn’t David’s blood on Michelle’s tongue.

***

“How are you doing?”

Michelle stared at her, not making any effort to hide her pained expression. There they were, in a 24 hours greasy café, and they hadn’t seen each other in almost ten months because Naomi insisted that their proximity would be suspicious. They were each other’s alibis for David’s disappearance, and Rebecca Watson freaked out as soon as she saw Naomi in the police station. “ _This woman is a stalker! She came to his workplace and lied to me!_ ”

“How do you think I’m doing, Naomi?”

Naomi nodded, understanding, but she couldn’t help but smile.

“They ended the searches. Some of his friends told the police that he was planning to run away. He even bought plane tickets to South America once in 2014 but gave up.”

“What about Rebecca?”

“She can’t prove it.”

“And what does that mean?”

Naomi looked around, eyes twinkling like Michelle hadn’t seen in years.

She dropped on one knee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... if you enjoyed this, I have some news for you.  
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Pls let me know what you think <3
> 
> Twitter: @hercardigan


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